PolyU-Daya Bay Technology and Innovation Research Institute establishes Artificial Intelligence Research Centre, facilitating Huizhou’s smart industrial transformation

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) held a cooperation agreement signing ceremony with the People’s Government of Huizhou City and the Daya Bay Economic and Technological Development Zone (Daya Bay Zone) on 30 June to establish the Artificial Intelligence Research Centre at the PolyU-Daya Bay Technology and Innovation Research Institute (the Institute). This marks a significant milestone in promoting technological innovation and industrial integration between the two regions. The Institute also signed cooperation agreements with several enterprises, ushering in a new chapter of in-depth collaboration between the industry, academia and research sectors. Together, they aim to build a technological innovation platform with international influence, supporting the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) in becoming a global hub for scientific and technological innovation.

The signing ceremony took place in Huizhou. Witnessed by Dr LAM Tai-Fai, PolyU Council Chairman; Prof. Wing-tak WONG, PolyU Deputy President and Provost; Mr CHEN Yuhang, Deputy Secretary of the Huizhou Municipal Committee and Mayor of the People’s Government of Huizhou City; and Mr LAI Jianhua, Member of the Standing Committee of the Huizhou Municipal Committee and Head of the United Front Work Department, the cooperation agreement was signed by Prof. Christopher CHAO, PolyU Vice President (Research and Innovation); Mr HU Jinyao, Vice Mayor of the People’s Government of Huizhou City; and Mr GUO Wupiao, Chairman of the Party Working Committee and Director of the Management Committee of the Daya Bay Zone, establishing the Artificial Intelligence Research Centre at the Institute. Other attendees included other PolyU senior management and scholars, as well as leaders from Huizhou City and the Daya Bay Zone and representatives from various enterprises.

Dr Lam Tai-fai said, “PolyU is committed to promoting innovation and fostering collaboration between the government, industry, academia and research sectors. This approach facilitates the translation of research outcomes into real-world applications, while also responding to the national vision of mutually beneficial cooperation and coordinated development in the GBA. Since its establishment less than a year ago, the Institute has made steady progress and achieved encouraging results in technological innovation, talent cultivation and translation of research outcomes. The newly established Artificial Intelligence Research Centre will leverage PolyU’s strengths in data science and intelligent algorithms, aligning it with the industrial development needs of Huizhou and Daya Bay, to provide enterprises with comprehensive support from the laboratory to the production line.”

Mr Chen Yuhang said, “Huizhou is seizing the opportunities presented by a new wave of technological revolution and industrial transformation, continuing to deepen collaboration between the government, industry, academia and research sectors, and working together with Shenzhen and Dongguan to build the artificial intelligence and robotics industry belt on the east bank of the Pearl River Estuary. The establishment of the Artificial Intelligence Research Centre marks a new beginning and heralds new achievements. We look forward to PolyU investing further research resources in Huizhou to promote the in-depth application of artificial intelligence in industries such as petrochemical energy, new materials and electronic information, generating more outstanding projects that progress from the laboratory to the production line, and helping Huizhou to accelerate the development of high-quality growth in Guangdong. Huizhou will continue to support the development of the Institute, provide first-rate services, pool additional resources and work hand in hand with PolyU to set a benchmark for the collaboration between the government, industry, academia and research sectors in the GBA. We would like to express our gratitude to PolyU for its strong support of Huizhou’s development.”

Subsequently, Prof. Zijian ZHENG, Director of the Institute and Chair Professor of Soft Materials and Devices of the Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology at PolyU, witnessed the establishment of the “Seton-PolyU Daya Bay Institute AI Intelligent Light Health Laboratory” and signed cooperation agreements with several enterprises to further strengthen the collaboration between the industry, academia and research sectors, promoting the translation of research outcomes into practical solutions and facilitating industrial upgrading.

The Institute also hosted a sharing session on new materials and applications as part of the “Smart Innovation in the Bay Area, Empowering the Future” series activities. PolyU scholars and other participants discussed the application prospects and challenges of new materials in modern technology, fostering collaboration between the industry, academia and research sectors in the field of new materials and facilitating the transformation and application of scientific and technological achievements.

The Institute also held a special session on new materials and applications as part of the “Smart Innovation in the Bay Area, Empowering the Future” series activities, facilitating the transformation and application of scientific and technological achievements.

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